Bottle cap



Dec. 11, 1923.

A. F. G. LUCAS ET AL BOTTLE CAP Filed Sept. 29. 1925 PatentcdDec. 11, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTHONY F. G. LUCAS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND JESSE F.

ALEXANDER, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOTTLE CAP.

Application filed September 29, 1923. Serial No. 665,564.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that ANTHONY F. G. Lucas and Jnssn F. ALEXANDER, citizens of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, and Philadelphia, in the county ofPhila-delphia and State of'Pennsylvania, r spectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle Caps, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

Our invention relates to closures for containers, and has special reference to the sanitary closure of bottles containing food products such as milk. Such bottles are usually sterilized before being filled, and are commonly closed by a disc of paper or press board forced into an annular rabbet formed inside the lips. This leaves the lips exposed, and one purpose of the present invention is to cover and protect the lips as well as the contents, so that the sterile condition thereof may be maintained until the contents are removed.

Another purpose is to produce a cap of simple design which will fit bottles of varying size and will not only maintain the inner seal over the contents but will protect the lips thereof effectively by hugging the same automatically irrespective of variations in size or contour.

These purposes and others which will sufliciently appear from the detailed description hereinafter, are attained by forming up in one integral unit a circular cap or closure having a depressed central disk surrounded by rim flanges forming an inverted annular trough or channel, the top and outside walls of which are stiffened by hollow ribs or grooved flanges formed up thereon. The upper wall has an annular rib and the outside walls have cross ribs, whereby the entire ring while solid i. e. in one continuous piece, is made expansible and at the same time resilient so that it will contract around the neck of the bottle when applied thereto by pressure.

The invention is illustrated in the accompany drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the improved cap,

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same,

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2, and omitting the vertical flanges.

Fig. shows a section taken on the line H of Fig. 2,

Figs. 5 to 9 are modifications of the device in fragmentary sectional views.

Referring to the drawings and especially to Fig. 1, a is a central disc, surrounded by walls f, Z), c, forming a channelled ring with an annular hollow rib (Z formed in its up,

per wall 6, and cross ribs 6 formed at intervals in its outer wall 0. There may be any desired number of these ribs 6, but in practice four to six have been found suflicient. The ribs 6 are shown as commencing outside of and below the annular rib (Z, but they may extend up into conjunction with the same, without departing from the invention. In such case the entire cap would be extensible outside the rib d to fit over-sized bottle necks. (See Fig. 9.)

The entire cap may be treated with paraffine or other filler, or the central disk alone may be so treated, after forming.

The present design, in addition to the ob jects stated makes possible the production of a combined closure and cap or protector within the limits of cost prescribed by commercial conditions. It is absolutely essential in. order to make a device of this character available, to keep down the cost, and extra operations in manufacture, as well as separate parts, are prohibitive because of the narrow margin of cost permissible, due to the fact that these closures cannot be salvaged for any further use but are part of the waste incidental to handling the contained product.

In the claims we shall use the expression bottle-cap for simplicity of definition, but it is to be understood that this includes caps or closures for any forms of containers. For example, the same form of closure may be applied to jars, tumblers or tubes, having open mouths.

Figs. 5 and 9 show modifications in the arrangement of the ribs d and e, as follows:

In Fig. 5 the side ribs 6 are carried up over the top 6 of the cap, and the rib d is omitted.

In Fig. 6 the rib d is of inverted bell shape in cross section and the side ribs e are omitted.

In Fig. 7 the same form is shown as in Fig. 6, with side ribs.

In Fig. 8 side ribs 2 only are shown, with a flare e all around the outer edge of the I n Fig. 9 the side ribs 6 are carried up to meet the upper rib cl.

The preferred form of our cap is shown in Figures 8 and 9, the ribs 0 with the outward flare e permitting the caps to be nested together, which is important for purposes of manufacture and in handling, as well as in applying them to bottles by known forms of magazine machines. We are aware of the patent to Baum, No. 1357831, granted Nov; 2, 1920 which de scribes a cap having radial ribs. In order to' attain the purpose set forth in said patent its ribs extend from the inner disk over the top of the ring and are formed with a reentrant angle all around, which prevents nesting and the other purposes herein set forth. Our ribs are formed in the outer face of the channelled ring f, b, c. The annular rib d not only marks their limit of expansibility but is important cutting off any channel reaching the inner sealof the bottle.

' H ing h s describ d the inv ntion, ha we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1 A bottle cap permanently orm d of semirigid material, comprising a central disc a, surrounded by wa ls f, Z), 0, forming a channelled ring with an annular hollow rib (Z formed in its upper wall I); to permit the walls b-c outside the rib to adjust themselves closely to bottle necks without distortion of inner or outer'walls,

2. bottle cap permanently formed of se nirigid material, co n rising "a central dis surr u ed bv We 8 7'. 6,0. f r n a channelled rin with an annular hollow rib 61 formed in ts upper wall I), and cross ribs 6 formed at intervals in itsouter wall 0 to render the same extensible.

3. A bottle cap permanently formed of semirigld material, comprising a central disc a,'surroun ded by walls 7", b, c, forming a channelled ring with an annular hollow rib (Z formed in its upper wall b, and cross ribs 6 formed at intervals in its outer wall 0, said cross ribs connected at their upper ends to the annular rib d, and extending therefrom to the lower edge of the outer wall a to render the same expansible to fit oversize bottle necks.

4:. A bottle cap permanently formed of semirigid material; com rising. a central disc a, surrounded by wa ls f, b, a, forming a channelled ring with an annular hollow rib d formed in its upper wall 6, and cross ribs 0 formed at intervals in its outer wall a, with a flare c all around the outer edge of the cap to permit ease of application and lso the nes ingef c ps i manu t r nd in the process of applying the same.

5. A bottle cap permanently formed of se nirigid material, comlprisin a central disc a, surrounded by wa ls f; 0, forming a channelled ring with hollow cross ribs 6 formed at intervals in itsfiouter wall 0, and extending to the outer edge thereof, with a flare ,6 all around said outer edge of the cap to permit ease ofapplication and also the nesting of capsin manufacture and in the process of applying the same.

In testimony where-of we hereunto aflix our signatures.

ANTHONY F- G- UCAS,

Jessa F- A EXANDER- 

